What BASIS International does

BASIS International Ltd. is a privately held, New Mexico–incorporated software company founded in 1985 that develops and licenses the BBx programming language ecosystem for business application development. Its core technology stack centers on the BBx Business BASIC interpreter family, which spans three active generations: PRO/5 (UNIX/Linux), Visual PRO/5 (Windows GUI), and BBj, the sixth-generation implementation built on Java technology. The platform is paired with a proprietary database management system (BASIS DBMS), PRO/5 and BBj Data Servers for high-performance client/server access, ODBC/JDBC drivers for industry-standard connectivity, and ancillary tooling such as BBjRecordSet, the JavaBBjBridge, BBj Thin Client, and BBj BUI for browser-based deployment. Add-on modules including AddonSoftware ERP, b-commerce, and Software Asset Management extend the platform into packaged business applications. A single BASIS license covers all three interpreters and they are designed to co-reside and intermix, supporting backward compatibility with decades of legacy BBx code while enabling modern Java-based development.

The company's customer base consists of software companies, independent software developers, and enterprise IT departments that build, deploy, and maintain business applications on the BBx platform, with a worldwide partner and reseller network and a European subsidiary (BASIS International Software GmbH) handling regional distribution. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time software licenses (single-user or multi-user, managed via FLEXlm/BLM) and a Professional Services division that provides implementation, consulting, and support directly to software vendors and enterprise IT groups. Marketing is conducted through the corporate website (basis.cloud), the annual TechCon conference, technical documentation, training resources, and community discussion forums.

BASIS operates with a small headcount of 11-50 employees and has remained continuously operating since 1985, with active engineering output evidenced by major annual releases and regular point releases of Visual PRO/5 and PRO/5 through 2026. Leadership is headed by Nico Spence as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, with Stephan Wald as Head of Development. The company is privately held with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent-company ownership, and there is no public revenue disclosure, no funding history, and no M&A activity in the source data.

Name

BASIS International

Legal name

BASIS International Ltd.

Website

https://basis.cloud

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BASIS International Ltd., founded in 1985, develops the BBx Business BASIC ecosystem — BBj, PRO/5, Visual PRO/5, Data Servers, and ODBC/JDBC drivers — and licenses it to software companies, independent developers, and enterprise IT departments worldwide via channel partners and Professional Services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Application Development Platform

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Rules & Decision Management Platforms (BRMS/DMN) (HDAEAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Software/Application Support (SaaS, Enterprise Apps) (BPAAACAC)

Keywords

• Business BASIC development
• Database management system
• Cross-platform application deployment
• ODBC JDBC connectivity
• Legacy application modernization

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: BASIS generates revenue from licensing its software products including BBj, PRO/5, Visual PRO/5, Data Servers, and related development tools. Licenses can be single-user (uncounted) or multiuser (counted) with license management via FLEXlm/BLM.
2. Professional Services: Professional Services division provides implementation, consulting, and support services to software companies, independent developers, and enterprise IT departments for software and enterprise solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BASIS International develops, licenses, and supports the BBx ecosystem — a Business BASIC programming language platform comprising PRO/5 (UNIX/Linux interpreter), Visual PRO/5 (Windows GUI interpreter), and BBj (sixth-generation Java-based interpreter) — along with proprietary database management systems (PRO/5 Data Server, BBj Data Server), ODBC/JDBC drivers, and add-on modules (AddonSoftware ERP, b-commerce, SAM). The company sells software licenses (single-user uncounted or multiuser counted, managed via FLEXlm/BLM) and provides Professional Services for implementation, consulting, and support to software companies, independent developers, and enterprise IT departments worldwide.

Product overview

BASIS International offers the BBx ecosystem, a platform-plus-modules software portfolio centered on the BBx programming language (Business BASIC). The core platform spans multiple language interpreters: BBj (the sixth generation, built on Java technology and the current primary offering), PRO/5 (UNIX/Linux interpreter, positioned as a transitional step to BBj), and Visual PRO/5 (Windows GUI interpreter, also transitional to BBj). Supporting infrastructure includes the PRO/5 Data Server and BBj Data Server for high-performance client/server data access, the BASIS ODBC/JDBC Driver for industry-standard database connectivity, and the JavaBBjBridge for Java integration. The BBj Thin Client and BBj BUI enable web browser deployment of GUI applications. Above the core platform, add-on modules include AddonSoftware ERP for enterprise resource planning, b-commerce for e-commerce, and Software Asset Management. A single BASIS license supports all three language interpreters and allows them to co-reside and intermix.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BBx® Generations: Product family branding for the multiple generations of BBx programming language including PRO/5, Visual PRO/5, and BBj.
• BBj®
• PRO/5®
• Visual PRO/5®
• PRO/5 Data Server®

Products and services

• BBj BBj is the sixth generation of the BBx programming language, rebuilt using Java technology. It serves as the current and primary BBx interpreter for developing modern e-commerce and enterprise solutions with support for object-oriented programming, SQL, GUI, web browser deployment, and AES 256-bit security. Targeted at software companies, independent developers, and enterprise IT departments building business applications.
• PRO/5 PRO/5 is a Business BASIC interpreter for UNIX/Linux environments, forming part of the BBx ecosystem alongside BBj and Visual PRO/5. It functions as a transitional step toward BBj while maintaining compatibility with existing BBx applications. Targeted at organizations running business applications on UNIX/Linux platforms.
• Visual PRO/5 Visual PRO/5 is a GUI-enabled Business BASIC interpreter for Windows environments, forming part of the BBx ecosystem. It functions as a transitional step toward BBj while maintaining compatibility with existing BBx applications. Targeted at organizations running business applications on Windows platforms.
• PRO/5 Data Server PRO/5 Data Server is a high-performance client/server data access component that offloads file system processing from the client to the server, reducing network traffic and enabling 4-GB and 64-bit file support on compatible operating systems. Targeted at organizations deploying PRO/5-based business applications at scale.
• BBj Data Server BBj Data Server (BBj DS Server) is a server-side SQL processing component included with BBj that offers an intelligent query optimizer, multithreaded SQL statement handling, and GUI-based administration via the Enterprise Manager. Targeted at organizations requiring high-performance SQL data access for BBj-based applications.
• BASIS ODBC/JDBC Driver The BASIS ODBC/JDBC Driver provides an industry-standard API between Windows applications and BASIS databases, supporting Minimum SQL Grammar and Level 1 ODBC API with over 30 scalar functions, and enabling transparent access to corporate data via ODBC/JDBC-aware tools. Targeted at organizations integrating BASIS databases with third-party reporting, analytics, and enterprise applications.
• AddonSoftware ERP AddonSoftware ERP is an enterprise resource planning add-on built on top of the BBx ecosystem, providing integrated business management capabilities. Targeted at organizations seeking ERP functionality built on the BBx platform.
• b-commerce b-commerce is an e-commerce application built on the BBj platform, enabling online business operations. Targeted at organizations seeking an e-commerce solution built on the BBx ecosystem.
• Software Asset Management (SAM) Software Asset Management (SAM) is a fulfillment module for managing software licenses and asset tracking. Targeted at resellers and enterprise customers needing centralized license and asset management.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Partner ProgramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBASIS maintains a worldwide network of partners and resellers who distribute and support BASIS products globally. Partners have access to a dedicated partner login portal.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Progress Software: Progress sells the OpenEdge ABL platform and Progress 4GL - a proprietary business application development language with its own database, the closest analog to BASIS's BBx/BBj stack. Both target ISVs and enterprise developers building transactional business apps on a proprietary runtime.
• Rocket Software: Rocket Software develops and modernizes proprietary enterprise language ecosystems (notably COBOL and surrounding tooling) and serves a similar legacy-modernization buyer. BASIS competes for the same share-of-wallet when enterprises choose between BBx and other proprietary runtimes.
• Appeon (PowerBuilder): Appeon supports and modernizes PowerBuilder, a proprietary 4GL for enterprise application development with its own IDE and database connectivity. The buyer profile, niche legacy positioning, and modernization strategy closely mirror BASIS's BBx/BBj offering.

Broad incumbents

• Micro Focus / OpenText: Micro Focus (now part of OpenText) is the dominant incumbent in legacy enterprise language modernization (COBOL, RPG, mainframe tools). It is a much broader portfolio company, but its core narrative around evolving proprietary enterprise runtimes directly overlaps with BASIS's BBj story.
• IBM (Rational/RPG/DB2): IBM's RPG platform and DB2 are foundational legacy enterprise stacks. While much larger and broader, IBM competes for the same ISV and enterprise IT budgets contemplating staying on a proprietary stack vs. rewriting, which is the core BASIS procurement decision.
• Oracle (Database, JD Edwards): Oracle provides the relational database and ERP (including JD Edwards) that many enterprises choose instead of remaining on BASIS's stack. Oracle's installed base and upgrade path create a constant competitive pull when customers evaluate DB and ERP renewals.
• SAP (Business One / R/3): SAP's Business One and broader ERP portfolio directly overlaps with BASIS's AddonSoftware ERP add-on. Mid-market and ISV customers weighing BBx-based ERP against SAP represent BASIS's principal competitive battleground for the add-on modules.

Emerging players

• FairCom: FairCom sells an embedded/niche database (c-tree) often paired with proprietary language platforms and legacy modernization scenarios. It overlaps with BASIS's DBMS and Data Server offering inside multi-vendor legacy stacks.
• OutSystems: OutSystems is a low-code application development platform, addressing the same business-application-building use case as BBj. It represents the modern, cloud-native alternative that prospective BBx customers weigh when deciding whether to migrate off a legacy runtime.
• Mendix (Siemens): Mendix is another low-code enterprise application development platform, increasingly used for legacy modernization projects. It is thematically adjacent to BBj's modernized Java/BUI offering and competes for the same modernization budget.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BASISIntl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BASIS International